Council Roundup: New Historic District Named, Angus Barn Annexed

After months of community debate and discussion, the South Person/South Blount Street historic overlay district finally has a name.

The Prince Hall Historic District is named for the Prince Hall Temple Building that was constructed in 1907 for black residents. The building still stands at 427 S. Blount St.

A map of the Prince Hall Historic District.

Other potential names included Stronach's Alley Historic District and Deluxe Historic District.

Residents were invited to vote on the name. Prince Hall was chosen with 55 percent of the vote, and councilors voted Tuesday to approve it.

The overlay district covers about 23 acres in the southern part of Downtown Raleigh between East Davie and East South streets.

The district wouldn't prohibit redevelopment or tear-downs, but construction or renovation would require extra approval and design review. New development would have to have the same characteristic of the neighborhood.

Neighbors who were in favor of the overlay said it would bring predictable and responsible development to the area.

Those against it said it would hinder development and the Raleigh Historic Development Commission did not do sufficient community outreach.

City Councilors approved the district back in April after nearly five months of delays.

Hotel Planned for Hillsborough Street
Residents at an evening public hearing Tuesday showed great support for seven-story hotel on Hillsborough Street near the N.C. State bell tower.

The university bought the property a few years ago for future investment in the area. N.C. State officials have decided a hotel would be the best use for the property, on which stands the local landmark Sadlack’s Heroes.

The exterior of Sadlack's Heroes and other businesses across from the N.C. State bell tower.

Mack Paul, the attorney representing N.C. State, is requesting a rezoning for the property. He said rezoning is needed to get needed additional height and to allow a hotel. Today, the property is zoned Residential-20 and Neighborhood Business with a Pedestrian Business Overlay.

The rezoning would drop the Residential requirement and allow for the height needed to accommodate a hotel on the one-acre lot.

There are also plans to build a two-story parking deck behind the hotel.

Business owners, property owners and area residents spoke in favor of the rezoning. No one spoke opposition.

The rezoning will be reviewed by the Planning Commission, which will give its recommendation to the City Council.

Angus Barn Annexed into Raleigh
The Angus Barn may have always had a Raleigh address, but until this week it was located outside city limits.

After multiple delays, City Councilors Tuesday approved a South Raleigh Historic Overlay District. Councilors also approved changes to the electric car parking spaces, a mixed-use development on Lead Mine Road and traffic calming measures for eight Raleigh streets.

Sadlack’s Heroes, a longtime Hillsborough Street landmark, will close its doors on Dec. 31. The business is moving downtown, but the building will be demolished to make room for a new hotel. Record reporters and a photographer recently went to Sadlack’s to collect stories from customers and former employees.

How sad and pathetic for Raleigh, NCSU students/alums and the surrounding neighborhoods that several established neighborhood businesses, especially local landmark Sadlack’s Heroes, are being forced out with barely a peep of concern so an already land-rich public university can hijack the city’s recent $10 million investment in the old Hillsborough Street business district. Most folks have been paid off by NCSU, developers and boosters, and most of the rest are too scared to cross our friendly local multi-billion-dollar public university, which apparently can’t resist making this shameless land grab even though it knows it’s neither necessary nor proper to replace these businesses with a government-run boutique hotel. When a city and neighborhood can’t be bothered to even ask the question of whether local flavor and landmarks are being traded for a worthy price, you know there’s a bigger, unpleasant and untold story behind the scenes. What a shame to see city taxpayers’ $10 million investment to encourage revitalization of this portion of Hillsborough Street being hijacked like this. The NCSU hotel should be built on the mostly empty 1,200 acres the university was given for Centennial Campus — next to the new alumni center, the new golf course and the new chancellor’s residence to add to the critical mass of fundraising infrastructure investments already made.

I agree with Helen and chickenlittle. It saddens me to see Sadlack’s go. It has so much charm and the city needs to understand that places like Sadlack’s is what makes Hillsborough St. interesting.

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